Opening the ayah…
مَّنَّاعٍۢ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ
Mmannāʻin llil'khay'ri muʻ'tadin 'athīmin
(Habitually) hindering (all) good, transgressing beyond bounds, deep in sin,
Translation: Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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Opening the guide…
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4-I guide
Nor someone who stops good from happening, goes too far and keeps on sinning.
Start with bismillah.
Ask: "What's an upstander, and how is it different from a bystander?"
Watch the Committee for Children video The Importance of Upstander Power.
Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "What does this person stop?"
Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "How can I open doors to good instead of blocking them?" Younger children can draw theirs.
Find it in the mushaf: Surah Al-Qalam is surah 68. Find ayah 12. The key words manna'il-lil-khayr mean one who blocks good. Some people stop others from giving, helping or learning. Believers do the opposite: they open doors for good and help it happen.
Fact: What is an upstander?
Ages 5–8: Good door. Draw a door and write behind it a good thing you can help happen.
Ages 9–12: Upstander steps. Write what an upstander can do when someone is being left out.
Finish with: "I found that an upstander is someone who ___."
Talk together:
Make a small plan: "This week, I will help a good idea happen at home or school."
Action: Help a good idea happen at home or school.
